


there is darkness in the light

by princelogical



Series: Harry Potter Snipplets [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, One Shot, Post-War, Usual bickering between Draco and Harry what's new
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 22:15:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9924290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princelogical/pseuds/princelogical
Summary: "I didn’t want to kill Dumbledore, but I had to. Everyone wanted me to. I still don’t know if I would have done it or not.” He pauses and gives Harry a twisted smile. “Now you, there would have been no hesitation.”





	

**there is darkness in the light**

After the battle, Harry hides. The entire body of Hogwarts cheers, sings and celebrates while Harry hides away like a frightened child. His hands shake, grief seemingly overcoming his ability to breathe, to think. He can think of nothing else but Fred and Sirius and Remus and Tonks and even Snape. They all died for the greater good and here he stands, tucked away, crying.

The hallway’s unnatural chill make him shiver as he slides against a wall, closing his eyes. He lets a blissful numb wash over him. No more anger or sadness or grief; just a cold numbness slowly washing over him, entirely smothering his soul and sense.

He hears footsteps, but at the same time, he really doesn’t. They’re distant; like they’re only in his head and not actual feet hitting against the floor. He hears a choked noise and then someone walking. The person slides down the wall beside him; he senses it surprisingly clearly.

Something inside him stirs and he turns to see a shock of blonde hair leaning over a thin set of legs. Pale hands shake as they rake across the face, one Harry has grown to hate.

Malfoy.

Harry’s defenses rise and he quickly stands up, wiping his eyes completely to show no sign of his past sniveling. However, the action proves to be unneeded, as Draco continues to stare downward. He doesn’t seem to be aware of anyone’s presence but his own, not unlike Harry a few moments ago.

“Malfoy?” Harry snaps. Nothing. Harry sighs and inwardly curses his worry. The boy who had been his enemy throughout school is vulnerable and what does he do? Use it to his advantage? Oh, no, Harry Potter must _worry_ over stupid Draco Malfoy.  

He squats down in front of Malfoy and lifts him up by chin (roughly, might he add), eternally grateful for the empty hall, and looks into the blank eyes. Purple smears of bags lay under Draco’s eyes, as if he’d been punched multiple times by a very angry man. His eyes look glassy, pupils dilated. His skin seems more pale and thin than usual. It’s a pitiful sight to see, Harry thinks. ~~Not that Harry cares _at all_ , because he really doesn’t.~~

“Can you hear me?” Slowly Draco meets Harry’s eyes. His lip curls in something like a weak attempt at a sneer, but it doesn’t work and his mouth twists into a sort of disgusted grimace.

“What, Potter? Come to gloat?”

Harry regrets the worry, regrets wanting to help this worthless boy who cares nothing for anyone but himself. He yanks his hand back, placing it behind his back and out of sight.

“Yes, Malfoy, I’ve come to gloat, obviously.” Malfoy merely sneers at that. “What are _you_ doing?”

“I came to be alone.” Malfoy fixes him with scornful look. “Apparently the precious boy-who-lived can’t take it; me not attending his little celebration.”

“The celebration would fall apart without you, Malfoy,” Harry bites back.

“Of course it would, Potter. My father…“ Draco trails off and looks back down at his shoes, scowling. “Your godfather is dead, is he not, Potter?”

“Yes,” Harry snaps, mildly taken aback at the sudden change of topic. “Shove off, Malfoy and leave Sirius out of this.”

Malfoy shrugs. “Hmpf.”

“Why are you hiding up here?”

“I hate you, Potter and they’re celebrating your victory; why wouldn’t I be hiding away?”

“Good point.”

Draco smirks and quickly covers it with another nasty scowl. “Potter… You realise you have a horrible habit of saving people who don’t deserve it.”

“What?” Harry snaps. “I do not-“

“Your precious godfather, your friends… me.”

“Only one on that list is right, you absolute prat.”

Draco simply raises an eyebrow and stands up, dusting off his robes. “I didn’t want to kill Dumbledore, but I had to. Everyone wanted me to. I still don’t know if I would have done it or not.” He pauses and gives Harry a twisted smile. “Now you, there would have been no hesitation.”

“Of course,” Harry snorts.

“I do hope I am not entirely evil,” Draco muses to Harry. “I do hope your little saving me stunt wasn’t some lousy waste.”

“It wasn’t,” Harry says before he can stop himself and cursing when the words are out.

“You sound pretty certain, Potter.”

“Saving people isn’t a waste.” Harry hurries to add, “Even annoying and selfish gits like you.”

“You have some sort of stupid saving people complex,” Draco mutters. “I’ll see you around, Potter.”

Harry looks over Draco then says, “Yeah, see you around.”

Draco starts to walk away then pauses and slowly says. “If I didn’t hate you, I’d tell you to try and save your stupid self sometimes. You know, stop trying to save everyone else and take your own self into account for once. But I can’t stand you, so I won’t say that.”

Then Draco marches off, head held high in the air; any trace of the sad and confused boy completely vanished. Harry turns the unsettling words over in his head. Unsettling because Draco, a person he would never take advice from if his life depended upon it, is actually right.

Harry closes his eyes and slides back against the wall. He gets why Draco came here; it’s private, the perfect place to break where no one will see. He thinks of Draco walking back with a strong façade of confidence. It burns Harry’s eyes in a peculiar way as he realises that perhaps Draco has lost just as much as he has in this stupid war.

For once Harry realises just how lucky he is. He’d never really been confused as to what was wrong and what was right. Draco, however, grew up confused; being taught right was wrong and wrong was right. The thought rips at Harry’s image of Draco, the one painting a heartless and selfish, blind follower of Voldemort. The important people who’d made the straight and narrow path easier for Harry, were gone. People Draco needed, but never got. People Harry wishes with all his might he could see one more time.

He just wants them back. And for that, he cries until Hermione and Ron find him and cry with him.

**Author's Note:**

> I've edited this time after time and yet, it still looks similar to my original draft. Yikes (tm). That's either very good or very bad.


End file.
